Moccasin



May 22, 1934.

Fired Feb. 1s, 1935 ATTORNEYS Patented May 22, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE Application February 18,

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in moccasins and includesimprovements in the moccasins themselves, as new articles ofmanufacture, and also an improved method of manufacture of moccasins.

In the manufacture of moccasins rit has been the practice-to sew thevamp to the tip or topA of the moccasins by hand by stitches passingthrough the abutting and upturned edges of the l0 vamp and toe piece sothat an upwardly pro-l' ecting butt seam is formed. In 'this usualmethod of manufacture the edges of the vampv and toe pieceare-leftexposed andi the moccasin presents a somewhat unnished appearance atthis seam.

So also, in the manufacture of moccasins, in the usual inanner, the vamphas been cutin one piece, giving a characteristic fullness of theleather at the toe. Sometimes an irregular V-shaped piece has been cutout from that part .of the blank back of the toes to eliminate fullnessat the shank, but this has left the toe with a surplus of leather whichmakes diiiicult the uniting of the top of the vamp with the toe piece.

The present invention provides an improved moccasin construction inwhich the usual abutting seam of the vamp and toe piece is eliminatedand in which an improved construction is provided, giving a more.finished appearance and which has other advantages, such as thosehereinafter described. A

The present invention also 'provides an imvproved moccasin constructionwhich is free from objectionable fullness at the toe, and particularlyat the lupper portion of the vamp where it is united to the toe piece ortip.- and in which advantage is taken ci this lack of excessive fullnessto provide an improved machine stitched union between the top of thevamp and the toe piece.

The present invention also provides an irnproved moccasin constructionin which the moccasin is provided with a welt united to the moccasin ina novel and advantageous manner.l

The invention also provides further improvements in moccasinconstruction, lhereinafter more fully set forth.

'I'he invention also provides ran improved method of manufacturingmoccasins in which a blank is used for the vamp which is cut in wingand'wing shape with an opening extending to within a short distance ofthe toe s'o that when the bottom vedges are ydrawn together andstitched. much of the fullness over the toe is 1933, serai No. 657,380

eliminatedv so that it maybe lasted smoothly,

in which the bottom edges of the vvamp are stitched togethertemporarily, in which the vamp is placed on the last and the upper edgespulled over the top of the last and cemented to a thin U0 piece ofleather, cloth, or other material extending under the edges of the vamp,in which the tip or toe piece is then cemented in place, v the vmoccasinthen removed from the last, the bottom seams opened so that the top' canbe 65 stitched in place with a machine, in which the toe piece isthen'stitched by a machine to the vamp, the bottom seam in the vamp thenpermanently closed, and the shoe relasted and ished by putting on thesole in the usual manner. 70 riihe improved process also includes other.features, such as the provision of a special toe piece or tip in whicha permanent ridge is formed along the edges of the .toe piece with theedges of the ridg'edrawn'together and cemented, or set 75 by heat, sothat the sides of the ridge meet, and so that the toe piece can then bestitched to the vamp along the sides of the ridge, to give a permanentridge incapable of flattening down,` ,and which gives a pleasing andfinished appearance to the moccasin.

The invention will be further described in connection withitheaccompanying drawing, which illustrates, in a somewhat conventional anddiagrammatic lmanner, certain forms of moccasins d5 embodying theinvention, and the method ofv practicing the process of the invention,but it is intended and will be understood that the inventionisillustrated thereby but is not limited thereto.

' In the accompanying drawing` Fig. 1 shows a completed moccasinembodying the invention;

Fig. 2 shows the iform of the vamp used in making the moccasin of Fig.1;

Fig. 3 shows the inner toe piece the edges of which are' located beneathand cemented to the edges o! the vamp and subsequently stitched thereto;l

Fig. 4 showsanintermediate stage of manu- 100 facture of the moccasin,removed from the last, after the vamp `has been cemented to the innertoe piece;

Fig. 5 shows the upper toe piece or t'ip with the tongue made integraltherewith;

Fig. 6 is a cross section of the moccasinat an intermediate stage ofmanufacture, before the sole is applied; thisl section being takenthrough the to'ei Fig. '7 is a cross section of the finishes mocca-- 11gsin with the sole attached, and also having a welt secured thereto andto the upper portion of the moccasin;

Fig. 8 shows a modied form of vamp of a length sufficient to extend tothe back of the moccasin;

Fig. 9 shows a vamp made up of two pieces;

and

Fig. l0 shows the top of the toe of a moccasin made with the two partvamp of Fig. 9 `with a stay piece over the seam where these two partscome together.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be noted that the vamp 1 iscut inwing-for-wing shape vwith the outer edge 5 curved to conform tothe shapeof the last. The inner edges 8 and 4 of the wings are curved to conformto the last and define an angular opening of about 120. The vertex 2 ofthe angle formed by the inner sides 3 and 4 extends to within aboutone-half inch of the edge of the last at the toe, so that when the inneredges are drawn together and united in a longitudinal seam, most of theusual fullness over the toe is eliminated and the upper edge will bedrawn in, whereby there will be a minimum of fullness or pucker when thevamp is attached over the last. It will also be noted from Fig. 2 thatthe extent to which the inner sides are cut away makes that partopposite the vertex narrower than the portion at either side thereof.

In taking advantage of this shape of the vamp, with excessivefullness-at the toe eliminated, the edges 3 and 4 are brought togetherand stitched temporarily on a zig-zag machine so that the seam will beat and the vamp can then be stitched to the quarters in the regularmanner. The vamp is then placed on the last by pullingthe edges over thetop of the toe of the last, onwhich the inner toe piece 7 of Fig. 3 isplaced, and the edge of the vamp is cemented to the edge of this toepiece which may be a thin piece of leather, cloth, or other material.The upper toe piece or tip 8 of Fig. 5 is then applied and also cementedat its edges to the edge of the vamp. The shoe is then' removed from thelast, the zig-zag seam at the bottom of the mnccasin is opened, and thisgives an open structure which can be placed on a machine and stitchedwhere the upper edges of the vamp and the edges of the toe piecesoverlap. The seam which was previously stitched temporarily, and. thenopened, is permanently closed and stitched on 'a zig-zag machine andthe-moccasin can then be re-lasted-and finished by putting on the solein the usual manner.

The upper toe piece or tip is ofl an improved construction. The blank 8of Fig. 5 is provided with a. permanentridge around its edge, which,when the moccasin is iinished, gives a ridge located in the usuallocation of the hand sewed seam of a moccasn, but which gives a moreiinished and pleasing appearance, avoids the unfinished appearance ofthe hand sewed edge, and gives a stronger and more advantageous unionbetween the vamp and toe piece.

The permanent ridge in the edge of the toe piece can be formed bydrawing the sides of the ridge together and cementing them so that thesides of the ridge meet and are held permanently united, thus giving anarrow ridge Without any cord or other material within the ridge.Instead of drawing the edges of the ridge together and cementing them,the 'ridge can be made by embossing with a heated die and the leathergiven a permanent set with 'the edges`of` the fold orridge touching,that is, without any space between them. When the toe piece, thusconstruct-14 ed, is stitched to the vamp by two rows of stitching, oneof each side of this ridge, the ridge is further held in place andprevented from spreading or flattening, thus insuring a permanent ridgeat this location. This construction of ridge 'or bead will retain itsshape and its attractive appearance. Moreover, the double stitching ofthe upper and lower toe pieces to the upper edge oi the vamp gives astrong construction which does not readily pull apart.

As illustrated in Fig. 6 the lower toe piece 7 and the upper toe pieceor tip 8 are stitched together by two rows of stitching 12 and i3, oneon each side of the bead or ridge 9. It will also be seen that the beador ridge 9 has its inner sides close together at l0, so that the widthoi the bead or ridge is practically equal to twice the thickness of theleather of the upper top piece 8. A ller piece, not shown, can belocated between the upper and lower top pieces 7 and 8, and within theedges of the vamp, or the edges of the vamp can be skived to form a thinedge at 1l so that this edge will not show through the upper top piecewhen the moccasin is finished.

The stitching of the lower edges of the vamp to form the temporary seamis indicated at 14` in Fig. 4, and the similar permanent stitching ofthe completed moccasin is similarly indicatedrat 14 in Figs. 6 and '7.'

In Fig. 1 the vamp 1 extends only part length of the moccasin and issecured to the quarters l5. The vamp shown in Fig. 8 is longer, andsufficient to extend to the backof the moccasin so that separatequartersare not needed. This construction isvsuitable for use, for example, inmaking slippers.

In Fig. 9. a divided vamp is shown made up of two parts la and lb which,in the iinished moccasinsare to be united with a stay 20 over the seam.This two part vamp, when united together with the stay, forms a vampsimilar to the one piece vamp of Figs. 2 and 8 and is used where it isimpracticable toQuse a larger one piece vamp, with some kinds ofleather.

The improved welt construction is illustrated in Figs. 1 and '7, and isa type of construction which is advantageous with some types ofmoccasins. ln applying this welt, the upper part of the moccasin ispreviously marked alongthe line 18, which is along the edge of the last,and the welt is then stitched to the upper along this line after thefirst vamping operation. This gives the welt applied to the upper beforethe sole is applied. The sole is then applied in the usual way to the`upper, as with cement, and then applying a row of stitching 19 to securethe outer edge of the welt to the sole. The welt is therefore stitchedfirst to the upper by'the row of stitchesy 18 and also to the sole bythe row of stitches 19. This improved construcof the g tion of welt,while advantageous with certain y types of moccasins, will not beusedwith other types, and can be omitted where the added welt is notdesired. It provides an improved welt construction for those types ofmoccasins where such a Welt is desirable.

The moccasin of the present invention, above described, and the improvedmethod of manufac ivv .vamp and toe piece.

on the last and to be secured to the toe piece in an improved way.v Thecutting away of the excessive fullness, in the manner described, alsoenables the vamp to be sewed together temporarily to permit lastingandattachment of the toe pieces by cementing their edges, so that thetemporary stitching can be subsequently removed and the vamp and toepieces stitched together on an ordinary machine. In prior constructions,with `the excessive fullness at the toe, this fullness or surplus ofleather makes it dimcult vto form the toe over the last and secure thetoe piece to it, and also there has been no good way of getting to theinside of the moccasin for machine stitching of the toe piece to thevamp. "I'he improved construction of the present inventioneliminatesthis excessive fullness and makes possible an improvedconstruction, as well as facilitating the lasting operation and makingpossible,easy stitching of the The improved construction of the toepiece, with a permanent head or ridge formed therein, the inner edges ofwhich come together and are held by cement or by a permanent set byheating, and also by the stitching adjacent the edges'oi the bead orridge, gives bead or ridge which has a narrow and pleasing and dnishedappearance,

with the'inner surfaces of the leather in the fold touching each other,and which retains its form after use. When ornamental ridges are madewith a cord under the ridge, the cord has a tendency to bury itself inthe under piece oi leather and lose its eiectiveness, The improved ridgeor bead construction or" the present invention, when stitched to thevamp, will always retain its shape and its narrow and pleasingappearance.

The cementing together of the upper edge of the vamp and of the toepiece or toe pieces, in the manufacture of the moccasin, may be eitherby a temporary cement or by a permanent cement. When a temporary cementis used to hold the vamp and toe pieces together so that the bottom seamcan be opened and the vamp and toe pieces stitched together von amachine, the cement will serve its purpose even though it may be of acharacter which does not cement the vamp and toe pieces togetherpermanently. If a 'permanent cement is used this will further strengthenthe nished moccasin and will also add to its waterproof or Waterresisting properties at that particuA lar part of the moccasin. A

It will thus be -seen that the present invention provides variousimprovements in moccasin conw struction, including the use of animproved shape of vamp, which enables an advantageous method ofconstruction to be utilized, and which gives an improved moccasinstructure, the provision and use of an ornamental top piece or tip whichgives a finished and pleasing appearance and which has a permanent andpermanently maintained ridge, and the use of an improved welt in thosetypes of moccasins where a welt is desired. 1

I claim:

1. A blank for the vampof a moccasin, comprising two wing portionsarranged at an obtuse angle to each other, the inner edges of the wingportions intersecting each other at a point adjacent that. part of thevamp which, when lasted, forms the toe of the moccasin, and adapted tobe joined together along the sole of the moccasin, the general angledefined by said inner edges of said blank being an obtuse one so thatwhen the vamp is lasted with the inner edges of the wing portionsbrought together atthe sole portion of the moccasin, the vamp at the toeend will be free of excessive fullness.

2. .A moccasin having at least the forward portion of the vamp made froma blank comprising two wing portions arranged atan obtuse angle to eachother, the inner edges of the wing portions intersecting each other at apoint adjacent that part of the vamp which, when lasted, forms the toeof the moccasin, and adapted to be joined together along the sole of themoccasin, the general angle defined by said inner edges of said blankbeing an obtuse one so that when the vamp is vlasted with the inneredges of the wing portions brought to-d gether at the sole portion ofthe moccasin, the vamp at the toe end will be free of excessive fullness.

3. A moccasin having o. vamp portion and a toe portion overlapping eachother and stitched to--v with the inner edges of the ridged portiontencian I ing each other, and with the stitching adjacent to and on eachside ci? the ridge to further hold the ridge from iiattening.,

d. A nioccasin construction such donned the preceding claim, in whichthe toe portion has its ridge formed by cementing together the ini redges or surfaces oi the ridge so that the ridge is held together bothby the, clementing and" by the stitching.

5. An improved moccasin construction having the vamp united to inner andouter toe piece meme. bers, both of which overlap the edge oi thev vampand are secured thereto by double rows ci stitches, the upper toe piecemember having a n "row ridge formed therein with the inner surfaces ofthe leather of the ridge in close contact or pro t -1 ity and with onerow of the double row of stitch= ing located on each side of andadjacent to the ridge whereby the moccasin is provided with a narrow andparent ridge oi pleasing annee-rm ance, y

o. A moccasin such as denned in the preceding claim in which the innerand outer toe piecemembers are secured to the edge of the vamp bycementing as Well as by the double row oi' stitchmg.

' the toe of the nished moccasin that the greater part of the excessivefullness at the toe of the` moccasin is eliminated, sewing together the@ges of the bifurcation temporarily, placing the vamp on a last andcementing the upper edge to the edge of an inner toe member, cementingan outer 7. The method or" manufacturing moccasins;

toe member to the edge of the vamp, removing the vamp from the last,opening the seam where thel inner edges of the vampwere temporarilysewn, stitching the toe members and vamp together and thereafterpermanently sewing together the edges oi the said bifurcation.

8, The method of manufacturing moccasins, which comprises providing avamp with a bifurcated sole portion and in which the angle dened by theedges dening the bifurcation is sulciently large and extends sumcientlyclose to the toe of the nished moccasin that the toe portion of themoccasin, when lasted, is free ofi the greater part of excessivefullness, sewing together the edges o1' the bifurcation temporarily,placing the vampV rom the last, opening the seam where the inner edgesof the vamp were temporarily sewn together and stitching the toe memberand vamp together permanently.

9. An improved moccasin having at least the forward portion of the vampmade from a blank comprising two wing portions arranged at an obtuseangle to each other, the inner edges of said portions intersecting eachother at a point adjacent that part of the vamp which, when lasted,forms the ltoe of the moccasin, the general angle defined by the inneredges of the wing portions of the blank being an obtuse one, said inneredges of the wing portions having been brought together at the soleportion of the moccasin, whereby the vamp at the toe end is free ofexcessive fullness, said mcecasin also having a toe piece made up ofinner `and outer members, the edges ,of which overlap the edges of thevamp on onposite sides and are secured thereto.

10. An intermediate vamp vand toe structure for Yuse in the manufactureof moccasins, said structure comprising a vamp member and a toe membersecured together by cementing, said vamp having a portion from whichexcessive fullness has been removed extending practically to the toe sothat the'width of the vamp at the toe is narrower than its width oneither side of the toe, the edges of the bottom portion of the vampbeing temporarily sewn together for facilitating the cementing of thevamp to the toe piece on a last, said combined structure, when saidtemporary sewing is cut away,v leaving the vamp and toe piece with anopen structure such that the vamp and toe piece can be readily stitchedon a machine.

RALPH MUNROE ANDERSON.

l no

